Gwyneth Paltrow On Rethinking Her Chris Martin Split

Gwyneth Paltrow On Rethinking Her Chris Martin Split

Mean girls should consider themselves officially on notice. Gwyneth Paltrow doesn't have time for that nonsense.

The actress opened up about womanhood in the February issue of Harper's Bazaar UK, which hits stands on January 2. The spread features Paltrow looking like a golden goddess in designer fashions from Balenciaga, Dolce & Gabbana, Louis Vuitton, Simone Rocha, Roberto Cavalli, Erdem, Saint Laurent by Hedi Slimane, and Isabel Marant.

"I think we are a generation of women who are different in a lot of respects, and some of us want to be ambitious, and for it not to be a dirty word," the 42-year-old cover star told the magazine. "We want to be feminine and soft, we want to be maternal, we want to be sexual, we want to be explorers — and we can be a combination of all of these archetypes. You can be powerful, but you can also be vulnerable… [I have] learnt the power of kindness and the importance of non-judgmental ways of looking at others."

That includes treating other women with respect. Though Paltrow has had her fair share of critics, she said she tries to stay out of the drama.

"Women really need to examine why they’re so vitriolic to other women; why they want to twist words, why they want to read about someone else in a negative light and why that feels good to them," she explained. "But I also know a huge tribe of women who are loving and supportive of other women, in ways that are completely transformative."

The conversation also turned to Paltrow's recent split with Chris Martin, which she described as being a "moving, amorphous thing." The GOOP founder reportedly intimated that Martin was "too young" when the couple first paired off.

"Men are very young at that age, and I was relying on him very heavily and I really expected him to keep being this grown man and pillar of strength — which he was and is — but it's also quite an unfair set of criteria to give to someone who's just 25 years old," she said.

Paltrow also admitted to doubting the couple's decision to separate.

"There are times when I think it would have been better if we had stayed married, which is always what your children want," she told the magazine. "But we have been able to solidify this friendship, so that we're really close."

Click through for more of the stunning shoot and other sound bites from the Mortdecai star.